Venus and Jupiter are lining up nicely in the evenings so it’s time to get those shutters clicking!

If you’ve been waiting for a chance to use that new digital camera you got last Christmas, now’s the time to start using it. Don’t have a new camera? Don’t worry, just use what you have!

I like this first photo because it’s shows a very wide field, has nice foreground interest and is an easy shot to make with just about any camera that has a high ISO setting. Which means if you have just a simple point and shoot digital camera, give it a whirl!
YOU CAN DO THIS!

Set your camera on a tripod if you have one to steady it and shoot.
If you don’t have a tripod, a car hood, pillow, bean bag, etc. will work. Or brace the camera against a light pole, beam, etc….you get the idea.

This second photo is cool too and another good example of a shot that is easy for anyone to do.
This one is not as deep and doesn’t show the fine details as the one above, but it’s a nice memento type photo of the planet arrangement in line with the telescope aimed at them.

Photos that tell stories instead of just simply showing off something is always my pick of the litter.

When I first started taking astrophotos, it was planet conjunctions that had me wasting the most film. (This was back in the late 80’s)

You can make your own little cosmic sky diary with shots in series that show the movement of the planets from night to night.

I’m writing all this because now is the time to practice! You don’t have to stay up too late to do this and the Moon joins the party this weekend. It doesn’t get much cooler than that!

Also, if you start now, you could have a nice time-lapse series by the time the really close encounter occurs mid-March.